“The Greatest Showman” Glossed Over P.T. Barnum’s Racism
Zac Efron and Zendaya’s characters were added to “The Greatest Showman” to demonstrate how racist people were during P.T. Barnum’s era. But in real life, Barnum used Joice Heth, a black woman, in his shows whom he presented as George Washington’s 161-year-old nursemaid. Shortly after Heth died of health complications, Barnum sold tickets so audiences could witness her autopsy, so he was also guilty of the racism that was present during that era.